You will find them in nearly every city:  the homeless, the disenfranchised, panhandlers, hobos and bums.  Street people.  They will ask you for absolutely anything:  spare change, a cigarette, a light, the time of day.  They may even tell you an elaborate story about their plight involving a broken down car and a pregnant wife.

Every time you walk down the street, you are almost certain to be accosted by a street person begging for something, and each encounter raises a personal dilemma: "Is this a scam, or is this person truly needy?"

Street-People.com was created to chronicle the stories of the homeless and raise awareness of the continuing problem of homelessness through the use of humor. Here they are entertainment, like creatures in an online petting zoo without the urine smell.

While some may find this approach deplorable and argue that painting all homeless people with the same brush is unfair and only serves to reinforce stereotypes, we contend that it is just as unfair to portray all homeless people as needy individuals that just need a helping hand to get their lives back on track. The simple fact is there ARE individuals who, for a multitude of reasons, cannot be helped or do not want it, preferring instead to take advantage of the compassion and generosity of others.

What you will find on this site are not heart-wrenching stories of loss, but rather profiles detailing the underground economics and off-the-radar lifestyles of street people as they try to cajole, scam and plead for money from anyone they encounter. The profiles featured here are of real street people from our city as well as other cities we visit in which we have a unique homeless experience.

Though this website is intended to be humorous, our approach to this project is serious. Every person featured has been paid for their story and photographs to appear on the website and merchandise.

Enjoy.